As of August 18th, 2021, over 4.79 billion doses of various vaccines have been administered around the globe to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. This points to one thing eventually; the complete resumption of a typical day-to-day life. The masks may stay for a while longer, but very soon things will be going back to how they used to be. One of these would be working from the office.
But are people ready to go back to the office?
Having worked from home for close to two years, there’s a fear among many people that re-adjusting back to office life could impact their productivity negatively. We are going to look at some of the things that you can do to re-adjust yourself to working from the office. If you have just received a call from your boss asking you to report back to the office soon, then this is for you.
Recreate the Comfort
Working from home has allowed people to create the most comfortable working environment that anyone could ever wish for. This has greatly boosted productivity for most workers. Switching back to the office means that a lot of these comforts may not be available anymore. Things like listening to music while working or even eating a very decent home-cooked meal fresh off the cooker will not be available in the office setting.
But this doesn’t mean it would be impossible to readjust. You simply have to make some adjustments to the office environment to make it as homely as possible.
Consider getting a standing desk like a Theodore Standing Desk that is built with some of the best features that ensure you can work without straining yourself. Some of these features include the following.
Height adjustability allows you to work both while sitting or standing, keeping you safe from back and neck problems.
Automatic buttons for adjustments that can switch positions within seconds, eliminating the ends for manual operations.
USB ports for charging your devices, ensuring they are close by in case of an emergency call.
Keep Things Tidy
Your mind will take a very long time to adjust to the new changes, and this can affect your productivity. However, you can make the transition a little more gentle by ensuring that your workstation remains tidy. The simple act of organizing your working tools will make it easy for you to know where everything is located, which will minimize distractions.
Using a neat and tidy workstation makes your mind focus on your work much faster, and this will help you quickly readjust to working from the office once again. If you have the space for it, bring some of the things that remind you of your home office, maybe a potted plant or a lampstand that you used all the time. Familiarity is encouraged as that helps the mind settle down much faster.
Get an Ergonomic Chair
After nailing a good standing desk, it is only fair to pair it up with a good ergonomic chair that will help you get the best of both worlds. An ergonomic office chair comes with features that make things easy on your body. Sitting down for hours can have adverse effects on your back and neck, and if you use the wrong chair, you could have a medical emergency on your hands before you know it.
One of the best ergonomic chairs in the market right now is the Soutien Ergonomic Office Chair that is designed both for comfort and efficiency. From the way, it is built, and how it looks, the chair screams nothing but class. Some of the features in store for you include the following:
- Lumbar support for your back to prevent neck and spine problems.
- A breathable mesh at the back that covers your back sufficiently while allowing the circulation of air to stop your back from sweating.
- An adjustable seat that can be extended to any height that best fits your body size. It can be used by the tallest and heaviest people around.
- It is constructed with high-quality and certified materials that ensure you stay with the chair for as long as you need to.
Create a Schedule
You are going to be disoriented when you walk into the office for the first few weeks. You will find yourself trying to do things and follow a schedule you had set for yourself at home. This has to change, and the best way to go about this is to create a new working schedule.
Plan your working day out and allocate each task its own time so that you can push yourself towards finishing it before switching it to the next item on your list. This will instill some much-needed discipline that will help you readjust to the office work much faster.
One thing that you have to keep in mind when setting up a work schedule is that you must follow it up with commitment. If you can’t follow it to the letter, behaviors then you will find yourself slipping back to the behaviors you had gotten accustomed to when working from home.
Re-Connect with Coworkersee their colleagues for close to two years. Some may not even get the chance due to unfortunate deaths. When reporting back to the office, there’s a possibility that you will be coming back to new faces and new working dynamics.
To help you readjust, try reconnecting with your co-workers. For those that you have been working with from day one, this would be the best time to catch up and even have lunch or dinner together. For the new workers, welcome them with warmth, show them around, and create a good relationship with them from the moment you meet them. Creating this sense of belonging will help you adjust to office life much quicker than if you isolated yourself.
Improve Your Wardrobe
Approach this return to working from the office as a new phase in your life. Frankly, it is a new step considering the indoor life that most people have had to endure for the past 18 months or so. So how do you usher in this new phase in your life? By giving your wardrobe a facelift worthy of the occasion. After all, you don’t want to be the one turning up to the office on the furthest day looking like you just walked from a farm.
Try getting some new office clothes that will give you a new look worth the return to the office. You can still rock what you used to wear, but if you spend your lockdown months working out, you probably have new killer clothes to dress that athletic body. It never hurts to be the subject of office gossip if you happen to look your best.
Manage COVID-19 Anxiety
We are not out of the woods yet. The pandemic is still devastating people around the world, and people are still dying. Most of those who will be returning to work are vaccinated, but that doesn’t mean they are now immune to the virus. You have to keep maintaining the rules that have been keeping you safe all along.
Going back to the office may cause you anxiety since things are not in your control anymore like they were in the house. This anxiety can be crippling to the point where it affects how you handle your work. Once you feel like this is becoming a huge problem, talk to your boss and have them create an environment where people feel safe while interacting with each other.
Get Vaccinated
There has been a lot of spotlight on the vaccines being administered around the world, and most of that has come from misinformation. There’s no more doubt about this; the COVID-19 vaccines are helping keep people from ICU beds, and if you are planning to get back to the office, getting a jab should be top of your priority list.
There are already some mandates in many places around the world forcing people to get vaccinated before they are allowed into any public spaces. Rather than wait for things to get to the wire like this, make it a p[ersonal endeavor to get yourself vaccinated.
This way, you will have less to worry about when you are back at the office, and at the same time, you will be keeping the people around you safe. So get that jab as soon as you can before reporting for your first day back to work.
Conclusion
It is going to take some time to get adjusted to working from the office again. Some companies have foregone the possibility of even coming back to the office by selling their office spaces. Meaning many people will be working from home permanently. If you are one of those reporting back to the office sometime soon, follow the tips outlined above to keep yourself safe.
